Praestolatio
by Sleeves of Satin
Summary: Angel waits for something, post-shanshu & apocolypse. DARK.


Praestolatio

By Sleeves of Satin

Rating: PG-15 (nothing that bad)   
Disclaimer: Schea. Right. Like I own them.   
Feedback: Anything welcome. Flames for marshmallows, Praise equals presents.   
Spoilers: Everything up to the Body/Epiphany and 4 years ahead of that    
Summary: Angel waits for something. It isn't pretty.   
Notes: I've had this on my hard drive for months, and on a whim I've decided to send it out. + +-denotes thoughts, ~~~ denotes flashing forward and back, title means "to wait for" in Latin.

* * *

'How' Angel thought. 

'How could it end like this?' 

After everything that happened. All the pain. All the wanting. *All* the waiting. And it was going to end like this. 

His head and arms ached. The new pain was excruciating, feeling like every tendon and muscle in his upper torso was stretched to tear. His head was swimming, the tears that had drenched his face and dampened his shirt had long since dried and stopped. 

The chains pulling at Angel's arms were cold and tight around his wrists. His whole body simply writhed. The soreness that radiated through him compared nothing to the pain in his heart. 

The sight lain before him was the most horrible thing he had ever seen. In 251 years nothing had compared to this. He still couldn't understand-how? Or-why? Everything seemed fine until. 

~~~~~~3 hours previous~~~~~~~~ 

"It's over." Buffy said as she threw down her sword. 

Angel exhaled slowly, walking towards her, 

"Yea, I guess it is." 

They were surrounded by the bodies. More demons than either of them had ever seen lain everywhere. The apocalypse was finally finished. Miraculously, no one had died. 

Buffy looked over at Angel and gave a small smile, as she felt satisfied. 

"I couldn't have done it without you." She said, her green eyes showing the sincerity of her words. 

Angel started feeling warmer by the minute. 

"I'm glad I was here to help." He replied, glancing and gesturing towards the demons as to tear his gaze from hers. 

Buffy concurred. "Uhm-anyways-we should.probably head back." 

During the battle the two of them had gotten separated from the rest of the group. They had enlisted everyone they knew to help. Angel's crew contacted anyone they could find, Nabbit's associates helping tremendously, especially with getting Faith out of jail temporarily. And after four hours of war, it was done. 

'Done' Angel thought as he realized something. The fate.he was going to- 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

Angel came out of his reverie when he saw it move. 

'Oh God-no!' 

His heart began beating a million miles a minute. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

It was going to happen. He began to feel it as it started. Angel dropped to his knees as it coursed through him. Buffy crouched next to him, putting her hand on his shoulder. 

"Angel what's wrong-are you alright?" she asked. 

He smiled as he realized whose hand it was. Standing, he was facing away from her, wanting this to be just right. 

"The pain is gone." He said simply. 

"Are you sure?" Buffy questioned. 

Angel spun suddenly and grabbed her face, pulling her towards him and kissing her full on the lips. She was surprised and unsure but seemed to respond naturally as it happened. It lasted awhile before Buffy noticed something. He was so.warm. 'Oh my god.' she thought. They both pulled away, astounded. Angel was grinning like a fool. 

"Angel, what's-" she was silenced by a finger on her lips. Instead of letting her finish, he simply took her hand and placed it over his heart. 

Buffy's nearly stopped. 

"Oh my god." she could barely get out. "Is this real? Is this true?" she asked. 

"It's real. It's supposed to happen as soon as my destiny is complete." 

Buffy's face lit up like a Christmas tree. "Oh my god!" She squealed as she threw her arms around him. Both of them just held each other, ecstatic. They cling to each other tightly, eyes closed as they basked in the bliss. When Angel opened his eyes he saw Faith walking towards them. 

"Faith." Angel stated, glad to see she had survived. 

The blonde slayer's brow scrunched as she turned around. Before she could get out a word, Faith was in front of her, punching her as hard as she could, square in the face. Buffy crumpled to the ground unconscious as Angel grabbed Faith's arm, noting how weak he was. 

"Faith, what are you-" but he was knocked out cold before he could finish the sentence. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

Angel couldn't move. He couldn't speak. He could barely breathe. The only thing that continued was his deafening heartbeat, which seemed to echo in his ears. 

That was the last thing he remembered before being locked in this tiny cold room, chained to the wall with it on the floor. He began to frantically pull on the manacles, trying to free himself as it sat up and opened its eyes. He stopped when he was frozen with horror. 

Buffy languidly stretched and tugged her muscles, feeling her body in a new experience. Her vampire visage naturally slid on as she rose to her feet. The bite marks on her neck quickly faded away as her rampant healing abilities, now rendered with one of a vampire's came forth. 

The slayer felt completely and utterly *new*. Everything seemed more real. She could *feel* everything move and throb around her. Including the hunger. The deep, pulsating desire for the thing she wanted most. Her new senses told her there was a human right by her. The heartbeat was beating profusely, as if calling out to her. She turned to face her first victim. 

His human chest clenched with fear as she turned to him. His deepest, darkest nightmare stood before him. Worse than losing his soul. Worse than losing her. Instead, she became the one thing she hated most and he now feared. He felt as if his heart would cave in as the shuddering sobs began. He couldn't stop. He couldn't believe. But reality came crashing down around his tears as she looked straight into his eyes and smiled. 

Buffy looked at the human and smiled as she watched him break down and weep. His face immediately triggered a slew of memories from the human that she once was. What he once was. What he could be. Her smile broadened as she realized just how ironic fate could be. 'He'll be my first kill.  His beautiful destiny destroyed by me.  It's *too* perfect.' 

Angel began to go numb with fear as she grinned and approached him, pushing herself flush against his warm body. He knew what she wanted. He knew all too well-the hunger. The thirst. He still pushed away from her, pleading as she took eye for his neck. 

"No! Buffy, please! Don't do this!" 

His cries her ignored as she sank her sharp fangs into the tender skin between his shoulder and ear. She took deep gulps, the red coppery liquid deliciously sliding down her throat. The vampire noticed that his heart was beginning to slow already, but still feeling the hunger, it continued to drink. 

In his mind's eye, Angel saw a flash of a vision. Her eyes. The beautiful innocent green eyes that looked up into his on the night of her 17th birthday. The eyes that glassily stared into him when she sent him to hell. The same eyes now that were feral saffron, shut in bliss as she drank greedily from his vein. 

Black spots began to dance across Angel's eyes as he began to fall into death. His last thought was of the beautiful blonde girl that changed life forever for him. Not the creature murdering him now, but the tiny slayer that looked into his soul and saw something beautiful. Which she trusted with her life, her love, her soul. And with that-everything went black. 

The vessel of flesh unhooked from his vein, leaving the mortal teetering on the edge of life, a small trickle of red running down his neck. His head drooping, body limp in the chains. She quickly pulled at the bolts in the wall, letting him fall. 

Picking him up and propping him on his knees, she knew what to do. Taking her nail and cutting across the top her breast along the neckline of her scoop tank top, she the let the blood flow freely. Clutching his head and pushing it to the wound, the liquid began to well in his mouth, and with old instinct revived, he began to respond, sucking as much as he could from the cut, being rewarded with this elixir he needed so much. And when he was done, he collapsed to the ground, tears still wet on his face. Looking down at the lifeless form, the vampire felt satisfied. 

Knowing it was finished; Faith opened the heavy steel door, a smile full of fangs greeting her newest fledgling. 

"Well done, B." The brunette said as she saw the once human Angel now dead on the floor. 

"Why?" Buffy asked, wanting to know why-how that this had happened. 

"Old grudges never die. Especially when the evil comes out. Even if the person is forgiven and forgiving, the evil still resides within." Faith said simply. 

There was an air of silence between them 

"He'll rise soon." Buffy said, gesturing towards the body. 

"Yea, well come on-better get him somewhere for when he wakes." Buffy's sire said, now lifting his feet. 

Picking up the corpse, they carried him away, safely to the darkness once again, as the sun rose in the distance. 


End file.
